Cactus in history
The Aztecs already exploited the cactus for its psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties, although some of these have not yet been identified with certainty.
The Catholic Church attributed the meaning "gift of the devil" to plants like the cactus, to give an idea of the powers that could derive from similar plants.
Hallucinogenic properties
There are about 40 cacti belonging to the genus Trichocereus : they boast psychoactive properties due to the presence of mescaline, an alkaloid known more precisely as phenethylamine: although the mechanisms of action that cause the hallucinogenic effect of mescaline are still not entirely clear, it seems that this substance expounds its action by stimulating some receptors of the central nervous system, which have the ability to cause behavioral and narcotic effects: mescaline, in fact, could act as an agonist of serotoninergic and dopaminergic receptors.
Post-recruitment symptoms
The alterations caused have consequences in the cognitive and perceptive field: immediately after an oral intake of 350 mg of this substance obtained from the cactus, effects can occur such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, palpitations, tachycardia, hypertension, anxiety and blurred vision. After an hour of administration, tactile and psychomotor perception is altered, accompanied by visions (glare, perception of undulating shapes), flashbacks, chills, tremors and weakness.
Peyote
The Peyote (also called Cactus button) is a small Mexican cactus that for millennia was the protagonist of magical and religious rites, exploited also for therapeutic purposes; it was used for various purposes such as, for example, communicating with nature and with the gods, to invoke rain, to locate hunting animals, to paint, to bless. Obviously, these traditions do not have a scientific basis, but the hallucinogenic properties have long been the subject of study by researchers.
The first testimony of the hallucinatory properties of the Peyote cactus derives from the Codex Florentinus, of the Franciscan friar Bernardino of Sahagún, who describes the plant with the following words: "There is another grass ... called peiot ... it is found in the north . Those who eat it or drink it have visions both frightening and hilarious; this intoxication lasts two or three days and then disappears. It is a kind of delicacy [...] they say it protects from every danger ".
Other properties
It is good to point out that succulent plants do not only exhibit narcotic properties. An example is the Cactus grandiflorus, remembered for its cardiac, stimulant and diuretic properties, expressed by a mix of active ingredients known as cactin and ordenine.
Cactin is used in the treatment of heart failure derived from an excess of caffeine or tobacco or caused by nervous disorders; ordenine is a cardiac tonic and has hypotensive abilities. Furthermore, it is also used in the treatment of diarrhea.
The use of these active ingredients is also accepted by homeopathy: the mother tincture of flowering tops and branches is used as an adjunct to dysmenorrhea and bladder level disorders.
